Tratamento de efluentes líquidos de unidades produtoras de farinha de mandioca

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is the third most important crop in the basic food of the Brazilian population. The production of cassava flour generates an effluent, called manipueira , containing high organic matter and cyanide. The objective of this study was to investigate the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity and cyanide from cassava wastewater by physical-chemical and biological treatments. In the physicalchemical treatment by coagulation-flocculation, three full factorial designs were carried out to investigate the factors: pH, tannin concentration and the flocculation polymer (Polipan) concentration on the response variables: COD, turbidity and cyanide. The maximum efficiency for COD removal was 91 % at pH 8.0 in the presence of tannin 1.0 mL/L and Polipan 0.030 ppm. The highest removal of turbidity (75 %) was determined at pH 8 and tannin 0.8 mL/L in the absence of Polipan to reduce the costs of treatment. Under these conditions, the maximum removal of cyanide was 12 %. In the aerobic biological treatment for 48 h, the maximum efficiencies for COD reduction of 88 % and for turbidity reduction of 69 % were determined in the presence of the microbial consortium 20 % v/v, ammonium chloride 5 6 % and at pH 8.0. For the treatments, physical-chemical and biological, the results show that pH 8 is a key factor for removal of organic compounds and cyanide from cassava wastewater. The treatments of the manipueira by coagulation-flocculation and by microbial consortium decrease the pollution of this effluent before being launched in the water resources